The Skoda Kodiaq. EDIT: Now launched at Rs 34.49 lakhs

This is a discussion on The Skoda Kodiaq. EDIT: Now launched at Rs 34.49 lakhs within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; Checked out the kodiaq in the showroom. What I was impressed about it , apart from the plush interiors, was ...

Checked out the kodiaq in the showroom. What I was impressed about it , apart from the plush interiors, was the fact that curtain airbags present in both the B and C pillars, effectively protecting passengers in the 3rd row as well.

One Problem I noticed with the roof being transparent is the Heat factor. The Car parked in the sun could be extra hot because of the Green house effect and would take more time to cool down? There is 3 zone cooling, but not sure the manufacturers thought about that when they had a beige curtain type transparent cover for the roof?

Well firstly, this is going bit out of line and off topic, and I don't expect you all to BS me right away. I did not make any claims as to the gearboxes 'failing' in QC. Request you all not to twist my words.

Going further, I personally do not have any documented proof that its indeed true, but there is also no documented proof that your statements are correct. But this is very common practice, that parts manufactured at different facilities for different brands, using the same technology blueprint, will have variations even if in terms of negligible margins. One cannot exclude the possibility entirely.

Some gearboxes are manufactured in China by Audi in conjunction with VW, some are manufactured in Czech Republic by Skoda itself (largely the DQ200 and MQ200).

By saying 'does not pass Audi/VW QC', it does not mean that the part is rejected. It could be for example that Audi QC standard A+++ is marginally more stringent than VW/Skoda's A++ or Seat's A+ standards.

How else do you all conclude that identical engines, gearboxes, steering wheel stalks, a lot of buttons, mirrors, etc. are being used right from Seat Ibiza to Audi A4, and the prices are so disproportionate? I understand there is a brand value, and Seat/Skoda/VW will always sell more numbers than equivalent Audi models. Hence Audi has to price its products at a premium, but it is also because their production and tolerance levels are much higher than other VW brands.

I have possibly driven most Audi, VW and Skoda vehicles. Both Audi and VW dealers are given training for their new cars to prove that they're better than their siblings. Audi as well as VW staff have clearly mentioned it to me upon asking about the durability of the gearbox, given my horrendous experiences with Skoda, that the gearboxes Audi and VW use are built better and more robust.

It is a simple case where Intel produces processors with i7 7th generation brand, which will become i5 8th generation the next year. I am not comparing apples and oranges, but merely explaining how mass production works. Surely there are going to be minor tolerance exceptions and the said 'rejected' part is not going to get destroyed and rebuilt. It is going to be improved and applied else where.

I do not wish to further elaborate, and indulge in futile arguments over this. This is my belief, and I shall propagate it as much as I deem fit since it is a matter of life/safety of the people driving vehicles which are built by Skoda. I cannot let go of my claim that Skoda's manufacturing practices are sub par.

Having driven my Octavia now for 90000 km as of date, my car is again experiencing gearbox troubles. Mind you, this is a new gearbox which was installed/replaced at about 50k kms. I have never taken my car out on a trip of more than 200 kms one way, never driven it on a track or for 'race' purposes, have no modification in the ECU or TCU, still the gearbox failed, and now for the nth number of time, the multi clutch is sticking between gears, shoving me towards the steering because of jerks from the downshifting.

Checked out the Kodiaq in the showroom last Saturday. It does feel a very capable, feature-rich and premium SUV. Many bits and pieces shared with Superb and Octavia. Lot of details already mentioned in the thread. Haven't driven one.
My few observations:
* Dash looks somewhat boxy (i guess to some extent this is due to SUV form factor compared to sedans/hatches)
* Middle row seats move laterally as well as the seatback angle can be adjusted. However, legspace is below the Superb even at its most back position (wherein 3rd row seats have almost no kneeroom) !
* Seatback angle at its most relaxed position seemed a tad upright than Superb's rear seats.
* Middle seat has a relatively hard backrest (somewhat better than Octavia) but no comparison to the Superb.
Overall, for middle seat passengers, the Kodiaq loses out to the Superb on several factors and is a 2+2+2 more than 2+3+2 assuming that children/small adults occupy the 3rd row.
* Front seats are very comfortable and have all the adjustments
* Sunroof is bigger than Superb aided by the longer roof length in an SUV over a sedan/hatch of roughly similar dimensions.

Overall feels 2-3 lakhs overpriced (ex-showroom) or at premium, and not a VFM offering unlike Octavia and Superb. Bear in mind this is just the Style model, and not L&K!

One Problem I noticed with the roof being transparent is the Heat factor. The Car parked in the sun could be extra hot because of the Green house effect and would take more time to cool down? There is 3 zone cooling, but not sure the manufacturers thought about that when they had a beige curtain type transparent cover for the roof?

Not really true. If you put the sliding screen below the panoramic sunroof, it prevents the heat as much as any hard shell roof does.

My Tiguan has Panoramic sunroof and I haven't felt sunroof is causing excessive heat. I do not know the spec of the glass used, but it has be the best in class UV cut / toughened glass.

I am very interested in buying one but the fact that I have not seen any on South Delhi to Noida roads till now except for one owned by an acquaintance.(He has replaced his old gen. ML 350 with kodiaq). Makes me doubt the sales strategy from Skoda.

I went to the Noida showroom and they didn't even have one on display. They said it would be coming next month.

I have ditched the idea of buying the Endeavour as I found it to be low on headroom and the tight middle row just didn't work for me.

I have ditched the idea of buying the Endeavour as I found it to be low on headroom and the tight middle row just didn't work for me.

So, now its either this or the Fortuner.

The Fortuner with the Toyota reliability and engine seems like a no-brainer to me. Toyota purposefully de-tune the max power in their engines so that they last longer. The 2005 Innova was tuned for ~100 bhp with a 2.4 diesel engine and it lasted for ever.

The Fortuner with the Toyota reliability and engine seems like a no-brainer to me. Toyota purposefully de-tune the max power in their engines so that they last longer. The 2005 Innova was tuned for ~100 bhp with a 2.4 diesel engine and it lasted for ever.

Sir, i know that. I currently own both the earlier Fortuner & earlier Innova too

Took a TD today. Liked the build quality and handling, but the oomp factor was missing. It's very difficult to explain since it has everything you want from a 45L SUV, but I don't feel it exhibits it's worth in the looks department. Sokda's Service is hit or miss. Not worth risking 45L on this brand.

From what I heard, Skoda had only alloted around 250 Kodiaqs for India due to high global demand. All the cars have been sold out so be prepared for a long wait if you book one now. That's also the reason for the over the top pricing. They really don't care since they don't have enough cars to sell here anyway. Not a very smart longterm strategy for the brand.

From what I heard, Skoda had only alloted around 250 Kodiaqs for India due to high global demand. All the cars have been sold out so be prepared for a long wait if you book one now. That's also the reason for the over the top pricing. They really don't care since they don't have enough cars to sell here anyway. Not a very smart longterm strategy for the brand.

They had the same issue during the initial launch of the current Octavia in 2014. There were not enough kits for India and the wait times stretched for months. If I remember right, something similar happened during the superb launch last year as well.
Skoda cars enjoy a die-hard fan following in Europe. They are known there as very spacious, practical and reliable cars with a timeless classic design. There is also a huge demand from the taxi market.

I personally know a couple of people in Europe who stick with a specific model for decades (Octavia/Superb etc.) generation after generation, buying a new one as soon as the new generation is launched. This results in a big backlog of unmet demand every time a new Skoda model is launched. It takes them 1-2 years to clear the backlog and get back to normal. During this time, it is very important for Skoda to keep their loyal customers in Europe happy by giving them quick deliveries. Satisfying demand in a small market like India is just not a priority. It is more of a "check in the box" statement to say to their Board that they are present and committed to growing markets of the future by launching new models there.

A friend is in the market for a 40L+ SUV but is skeptical about the Audi Family. Having owned the BMW X1, this gentleman has been educated by his Audi owning friends and has struck off both the Kodiaq & Tiguan from his list for fear of future treatment by the service centres.

Seriously??? Ive read a tonne about skoda misgivings, & to some extend even VW but is Audi sand bagging its premium buyers too? but then why are there so many Audi's around

Seriously??? Ive read a tonne about skoda misgivings, & to some extend even VW but is Audi sand bagging its premium buyers too? but then why are there so many Audi's around

Quite Off topic on this thread.

Personally, in Mumbai the Skoda service I've experienced is better than the Audi service I've experienced.

In the 35-40L OTR price bracket the main SUVs are the Kodiaq, Endeavour, Fortuner, Santa Fe unless you go the German way - IMHO the X1 is the best bet as it's the newest and largest.

Toyota is above average but they like to add on useless items to the bill which no one really asks for (windshield buffing, power window and lock servicing, etc.). Ford is very dealer specific as is Skoda.

The best bet would be to see the individual dealership reviews in your city and take a call. If Audi owners are lamenting about poor service (I am one of them in Mumbai), it probably is bad! But it boils down to individual dealership and not a brand as a whole.

In fact, in my experience - Skoda India is faster to respond and more eager to satisfy a customer as compared to Audi India.

Why do people buy Audis if their service is so bad?
Because everyone assumes nothing will happen to them until it does + lucrative discounts + good looking cars. Even Skoda with it's poor reputation manages to sell a handful of it's premium models compared to some others in it's segment.

Question is how many are going to be repeat Audi customers - I know only a handful compared to those who buy repeat BMWs and Mercs.